They say that holidays are for relaxation, sleeping in and blobbing out, yeah? rite, so what am I doing falling out of bed at 5am? going fishing of course. yesterday mike and I went down to the wharf to arrange our passage on a day charter fishing trip. the fare was non-negotiable US$90.00 AND we needed a fishing licence to fish in the OCEAN off crescent city, $13.40 for the day.... the day was overcast, no sun, and a bit misty. it was nice and calm in the harbour but when we left the headland things were slightly different. I was real pleased I took a dramamine pill before I left the motel, better safe than sorry. I was hanging our for a coffee all day 'cos the office was still closed and there was no coffee facilities in the rooms.... we sailed for 35 minutes to the first fishing spot during which time mike had a snooze in the cabin. we failed miserably to even get a bite at the first spot

. the deck hand, Fred, reconed we were just getting used to the reels and rods, liar, lol. at the next spot we started to make inroads into our daily quota of 10 rock cod each per day. It is amazing how much you get to know your fellow fisher-persons on a trip and we all got on real well. it was pretty cool out on the water all day with a bit of a breeze that was way too lazy to go around you, but went straight through you instead. the sea was running a reasonable swell and the boat sort of wallowed every 7-8 swells, lol. soon we heard the comment, "Ok guys, 1 more fish for our quota." already? where had the day gone? we had been fishing for nearly 8 hours, 8 hours for 50 fish, well at least we got our quota and the pride of the Bear Fishing boat was intact once again. the skipper's name was Brigitte, and she was a real hoot for sure. she knew her way around the bay for all the good fishing spots and her husband, Fred, was the deck hand, a real pleasure to have met both of them. because of the game and fishery rules, the filleting had to be done on shore at gutting stations, for research purposes and to make sure you don't catch any protected species. we had quite a few catch and release fish including one that was 23 inches long, it was an inch short and we had to release it. we cought a few reddish/orange coloured rock fish which are a protected species and these were all released safely and in accordance with the California Dept of Fish and Game which requires the fish to be released at a depth of 60ft minimum.... sounds complicated? nah, just an upturned crate weighted and attached to a rope into which the fish is placed and dropped overboard. aparantly this enhances their chances of surviving the rapid ascent to the surface and allows them to get their float bladder under control. the homeward trip to harbour was a relaxing affair into a bit of a swell but the boat size meant it was a smooth event... if anyone is in crescent city and want a great day out on the ocean, take a trip on the Bear fishing boat charter.

Comments

stewart
on Jul 30, 2010 at 08:29PM

G"day Fellow Fisherman and what the hell a license to fish, I know they do down south but here in Queensland we can still fish the ocean free. I like the way they have targets and quotas I hope u had a brilliant day mate great shots and great blog